Dad regards pledge case as his 'duty'

The Sacramento Bee ^ | 7/16/2002 | Jennifer Garza

[Utah Girl]

Of all the names he's been called in the past few weeks -- and there have been plenty -- Mike Newdow can't quite understand how someone could call him a bad father. Or a traitor.

Newdow is the Sacramento man who challenged the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance -- and won.

[flyervet]

Actually, he spent a good portion of his life in LA, which is quite far from Sacramento. It would be like moving from SC to New York. Moreover, before he moved to Sacramento he was living 3,000 miles away in Florida and was probably quite well-established there.

[L.N. Smithee]

Newdow is an emergency-room physician with a law degree, but he says he made only $15,000 last year.

$15,000? Three words...the first one is "My."

I don't have a degree from a four-year university, I work eight hours a day in a sub-administrative task and I earn more than this yahoo says he does.

Although he works a couple of days a month at the UCLA Medical Center, he says he lives mostly off his savings while spending most of his time, money and energy exploring family law issues and fighting for more time with his daughter.

If he really was so interested in his daughter, he wouldn't be spending so much of his time, money and energy in court tilting at windmills.

I know that his wife probably wants to lay low, but I wish I could hear more from her. I have a feeling that Newdow is counting on her reluctance to be focused on, and lying with great vigor about his righteousness and poverty.

[rkrtgw]

Many men don't live up to their responsibilities as fathers and that's a tragedy. Here is one man who is living up to his responsibilities, whatever else he may be.

Well, then what you see and I see are different. I see a man who has put his political views above his Biological daughter. Its easy to father a child. Any man can do it. Its not easy to be a father. I see a man who is a bad (not the worse I have seen) example of fatherhood being defended for actions that don't look as pure as it appears to you.

[flyervet]

Would your opinion of Michael Newdow be different if he weren't an out-spoken atheist?

Michael Newdow is far from perfect, but he has bent over backwards to be in his daughter's life, moving across country, paying nearly double his income in child support. Many parents have strong political views and work to advance those views, for instance, just about any politician you care to name has had to contend with being a a parent while being being politically active. Does this mean that no parent can have a cause, however Quixotic, while having minor children?

[Registered]

[rkrtgw]

Would your opinion of Michael Newdow be different if he weren't an out-spoken atheist?

My views on Michael Newdow are that he is political activist.....and don't try and bring religion into my argument. He is using his daughter.

[flyervet]

So is it safe to say you consider W to be a bad father?

[Utah Girl]

Great graphic! And you zapped Nednow in two or more ways. Under God is in the pledge, President Bush is saying it. Nednow has problems with President Bush too (who would have thunk it?)

[Wondervixen]

You act like you're just on the brink of understanding this thing and then you hide behind your same old argument that "The mother ran there first & he followed".

I'll start out by saying "I agree with you about that"...That is the END RESULT. Now let's look at the motivation, and clear your head, because it IS NOT about his daughter, and his love, and his duty as a father, and all that rot.

Newdow is originally FROM California and he knows very well how liberal the 9th Circuit is. He knows very well how much more likely he is to persuade them to do his Atheist bidding as opposed to other Circuits.

The mother tired of Newdow's crackpot pestering and decided to move AS FAR AWAY FROM HIM AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE and still remain in this country. She was not thinking about Judicial Circuits, she was thinking about DISTANCE.

When Newdow found out she was in the Bay Area out west, he felt "So much the better!!!"...He'd been banging his head against the wall in Florida trying to get his Anti-God suits through courts that were only mildly liberal...Out of the 11th Circuit (where there IS half a brain to fight with) to the 9th Circuit where you could get Charles Manson OFF death row and Jesus Christ ON. Her UNWITTING move west into that district was a gift from whomever Newdow gives credit in lieu of GOD...It was all wrapped up in pretty little bows, for now, he was HOME where he could trash God all he wanted and had 24 empty heads on the court who he could manipulate to listen! Best yet, he had "an excuse" to BE THERE and he could further manipulate that court to stick-it to this little girl's mother and family law in this nation. The mother didn't realize it, but she played right into Newdow's hands!

Had she gone to a more conservative 5th Circuit (ie; TEXAS), Newdow would likely find cowboy boots up his rectum for all the trouble he's caused...No, she had to think in terms of longest distance away in her decision, not the safest haven which was half that distance away. If she'd only known as much about politics as Newdow she wouldn't be in the spider's web, for NOW, if she chooses to pick up and move, HE is in prime teritory to slap her with injunctions to force her to stay.

Not bad, for an insane dumbass who has NEVER had a minute of custody (and rightfully so) over the daughter his sperm found the egg for. This brings to mind two sayings...

Even a blind pig finds an acorn every once in awhile."

Any man can become a father, but it takes a special man to be a DADDY!"

[Wondervixen]

>>Assuming that what you wrote is true...

WHY THE HELL SHOULD WE BE FORCED TO ASSUME that what Homeschool Mama says is true, but ACCEPT WHAT YOU SAY IS???

[flyervet]

I am completely unable to read minds, unlike you, and I can only deal with the facts of the situation as presented. So you'll forgive me if I have to let you take your logical leaps alone.

Michael Newdow is originally from New Jersey, not California. Regardless, everyone knows how liberal the Ninth is. Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is that the mother of his child moved to the Ninth, and he followed. While the Ninth is chock-full of beautiful places to live, Michael Newdow chose to move to the same town as his daughter. He didn't even choose to go to San Francisco, where the Ninth is physicall located, but to Sacramento, which is not a bad city, but compared to other parts of California, let alone the rest of the vast territory encompassed by the Ninth, is no great shakes. Moreover, he has a skill set that would be welcome just about anywhere in the Ninth. He had no other reason to move to Sacramento except to be a part of his daughter's life.

[baseballfanjm]

He was on Fox News spewing his lies about the Constitution. He now wants to sue because the President had some ministers preach at his inauguration. Now, if the President wants some preachers he likes to talk and pray, how is that unconstitutional? If anything it is protected by the Constitution.

Anyway, by the last third of the interview Linda Vester had ditched her script and was clearly really mad at the guy and wanted to give him a piece of her mind. I've never seen an anchor get mad like that. He had the look of a brainwashed person. You know, rarely blinking, a funny look in his eyes, soft voice, lots of spin, and when someone else approaches them with facts, they try to play on your emotions and change the subject.

[rkrtgw]

So is it safe to say you consider W to be a bad father?

I don't know anything about George W Bush's parenting skills.....he is not the issue...Newdow actions have effected all public schools in our country. The one my son goes to as well..... HE HAS USED HIS DAUGHTER TO DO THIS. Its real hard for me to make this man "Father of the year"

[Anchoragite]

If his court ordered child support is $24k per year...and he earned a mere $15k a year how is he possibly meeting his child support? Can you say DEADBEAT?!

Well, considering he's an ER Doctor, and lives in a 4-bedroom house, etc.... And it *did* say he was living off of savings... Funny, I didn't work for the last three years either, and was able to pay all of my bills. You can do that if you work hard and make money, you know.

The mother is not a feminazi. How dare you. You know NOTHING about the people involved in this case. What hateful beliefs you hold. What a sorry and bitter life you must lead. I have the utmost of pity for you. What a loss.

Now, can we say "Pot calling kettle?" You made the brash "deadbeat" assumption without knowing anything more....

[flyervet]

WHY THE HELL SHOULD WE BE FORCED TO ASSUME that what Homeschool Mama says is true, but ACCEPT WHAT YOU SAY IS???

Careful, or that throbbing vein in your forhead is going to blow. Maybe you should take a walk around the block for a few minutes. You are getting pretty emotionally involved in a side-issue here.

I have no idea who or what is forcing you to assume that what HSM says is true. I certainly haven't been forced to assume that what she says is true. But maybe psychic posters on FR.com are subject to coercion the rest of us are not. Whatever. In any event, if anyone is forcing you to assume what HSM says is true, then I, too what to know why the heck you should be forced.

[flyervet]

Well, it's a sure-fire bet that a CEO, major state governor and leader of the free world are all roles that require much more time and energy than political activism. Moreover, W has certainly affected all public schools in our country, unlike the Newdow decision which has only affected schools in the Ninth, or would have if the decision wasn't held for appeal.

Now while I agree that Michael Newdow's daughter gave him legal standing to file his challenge to the words "under God" in the POA, I don't understand how this is any different than any other parent who seeks to influence school policy. In other words, how is Michael Newdow any different than the parents who sued to get school vouchers approved in Ohio?

[Wondervixen]

Smithee, Newdow and the little girl's mother were never married...She comes from a one-night stand gone terribly wrong with the ultimate in wrong men to hop in the sack with!

[Wondervixen]

I'm going to Long & Short this for you flyervet...

There are 24 hours in a day.

He's NOT working but TWO days a month so to DELIBERATELY stay under enough income necessary to pay his daughter's $24,000 CHILD SUPPORT LIKE A CARING FATHER.

Interests and hobbies: Eradicating GOD from any and everything through the court system (That's GOT to eat up a few "quality hours" he could be spending with his little girl, dontcha THINK???)

BIGGEST long & short of it:

The Atheist movement has been silent since Madelyn Murray O'Haire mysteriously disappeared off the face of the Earth...Like other liberal activist spokespersons and throne sitters, Newdow wants the power, prestige, fame, and fortune of sitting upon Madelyn's old throne!

So, how many minutes a day are left for playtime & McDonald's with the daughter?

[Wondervixen]

>> I have no idea who or what is forcing you to assume that what HSM says is true.

Do you belong to Short Attention Span Theatre or something? Tell me you don't recognize words YOU YOURSELF WROTE???

[flyervet]

Actually, we don't know how many days he's working a month. We do know that his child support payments are nearly double his income, and he is living off savings. We also know that if he weren't making his child support payments the media would be all over it, as they have been all over every other aspect of his life.

It seems that Michael Newdow likes to pursue many court cases, including those in family court. While this is certainly eccentric and maybe even obnoxious, it's hardly sinister. Moreover, it seems the perfect hobby for someone who is not working many hours per week and wants to spend as much time with his child as possible.

Finally, Madalyn Murray O'Hair did not disappear from the face of the earth. She and her family were brutally murdered and their bodies buried on their property. The bodies were found in 1997 and a conviction came down in 2000.